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Gardeners' Notes:

I have been growing seaberries or Hippophae rhamoides for about 4 years now. Most of my plants I grew from seed and they have been much more sturdy than a few I purchased as rooted cutttings. The downside is that I won't know if I have male or females until they blossom or produce fruit. I'm not that worried since I have over 500 of them in a field and I should get a nice distribution of the sexes. Now I am harvesting some leaves to use as tea and that is working out very well. I even add some dried leaf powder to smoothies. The leaves are full of good stuff too. Google Seaberry / Seabucthorn and you will find my blog which chronicles a lot about my experiment. Some nice recipes can be found there too. Just google seaberry recipes and you will find the blog. I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences too.

One picks the fruit carefully. The berries are very sour when eaten alone but into the blender with water and some sugar make a wonderfully refreshing drink.
They seem to be very winter hardy in South Central Alaska even after the winter of 2006-7 which gave us very cold temperatures without a snow cover and lots of things didn't overwinter. Whether they are moose-proof is unknown as they are behind an eight-foot fence.

One of the most valuable shrubs for the human condition and envirnment. All you ever want to know is on the internet. USDA has ignored sea buckthorn. Harvesting is labor intensive. Is a must for Russian gardeners. High in vitemins and heath nutrients for the long winters. China makes 200 product from sea buckthorn. Species from a few inches to 70 feet. Very attractive shrub. Needs male and female for berries. Very easy to propagate. Seeds, cuttings, roots, suckers. Suckers densly, extensively. Great for wind and soil erosion, Chinese claims up to 90% soil retension established growth. All parts usable. Medicine, nutrician, cosmetics, tea, ect. ect. ect. No known negetives.